Jorge Alessandri

Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez (19 May 1896-31 August 1986) was President of Chile from 3 November 1958 to 3 November 1964, succeeding Carlos Ibanez and preceding Eduardo Frei Montalva. He was the son of President Arturo Alessandri.

Biography
Jorge Alessandri rodriguez was born in Santiago, Chile on 19 May 1896, the son of Arturo Alessandri. He entered politics when his father was president, and he worked as an engineer during the 1930s before serving as Minister of Finance from 1948 to 1950 as a Liberal Party of Chile politician. He won the 1958 presidential elections by a narrow margin against Salvador Allende and Eduardo Frei Montalva, running as a Conservative Party of Chile-backed independent. Despite his personal popularity, he was unable to bridge the social divisions within Chilean society, although his orthodox liberal economic policies succeeded in bringing inflation down from over 25% in 1958 to 8% in 1961. A growing trade deficit caused suspicions among foreign investors and a withdrawal of much-needed capital from Chile, and continued migration from the land to the cities increased the problem of urban poverty. Alessandri did not stand for re-election in 1964, and Allende defeated him in the 1970 presidential election. He died in Santiago in 1986 at the age of 90.